28: LONG-TERM PLAN

— DROP-TOP PERFECT PONTIAC

More known for churning out award-winning pre-’49 hot rods, Magoo’s Street Rods is not usually associated with ‘late model’ car builds. However, in this day and age, diversification is key and that’s exactly what Lloyd ‘Magoo’ Wilson and his talented team have been doing, perhaps the most noticeable indications of this Jack Cooper’s stunning F100 pickup truck and Ian Prisk’s 1957 Chevrolet, previously featured, rolling out the workshop doors and already turning heads.

Lloyd explains how it all happened. “Some years back, I got a call from a guy who introduced himself as Martin, and he asked if we did project management for car builds. He’d found a car online and wanted someone to handle the whole project. I explained our role in the build process, and that we could handle the whole thing, from purchasing the vehicle through to registration.”

This was exactly what Martin was looking for. To say that he had started down the path of American cars at a young age is a bit of an understatement. Growing up, Martin was no stranger to cool American tin. His Dad had owned a 352-powered Customline, and, at the tender age of five, Martin had clambered into his uncle’s ’64 Pontiac Laurentian and been taken for a ride in it. The seed had been planted, and, over the years, it continued to germinate slowly in the background. In Martin’s adult years, when the time was right, the desire to find something to cruise in was reignited with the purchase of a toy car from the Hot Wheels range. It was a natural that Martin would upscale to a full-sized toy, and, after many an hour in front of a computer screen searching the American car classifieds, he found what he was looking for. The ’66 Pontiac Catalina convertible that he now proudly calls his own was owned by a retired professor from the University of Illinois. It looked the goods, and, as it was a convertible, it was assumed that the cruiser had only seen summer use and, therefore, not been subjected to the harsh snow and salt of a Chicago winter; it was hoped that this assumption would be proven correct. To be sure, though, Magoo suggested an independent inspection before any funds were handed over. The inspection came back positive and the transaction was completed.

Unfortunately, when the big ragtop arrived, it was discovered that the Americans’ interpretation of what is good and what is not so good must differ significantly from the way that we Kiwis interpret things. MAF duly flagged the vehicle as damaged when it arrived. A full strip and rebuild was always part of the plan, but the poor inspection stateside had resulted in a few unpleasant surprises. Moral of the story: if you plan to import a car and want a realistic assessment of it, there are plenty of transplanted Kiwis over there who are more up to play with what we will or will not accept over here! It wasn’t all doom and gloom for Martin, however; when the Pontiac was torn apart, not only were the original owner’s manual and handbook unearthed, but also, as a bonus, the original factory build sheet with all the options selected by the first owner was

keeping the original paperwork company. From that, they knew that, in ’66, the car was assembled in Pontiac’s Kansas City plant. It was then driven onto a tri-level transporter, where it rode shotgun to Chicago, Illinois. Later, it was sold by Mackaye Motors Inc. of South Holland. Now that is pretty a neat history lesson we don’t mind listening to!

The brief to Magoo’s was this: build a car with details that exceed the factory original, make it sit right and have good sounds, and make sure it possesses the wow factor. Apart from that, Magoo’s was given pretty much free rein with the project. That’s not to say that Martin had no input into the build, though; the big decisions, such as the choice of componentry, etc., were all run by him prior to being made, but, essentially, Magoo’s was given creative license for the project, all the while forwarding photos and details to Martin as the build progressed over the next 18 years! Yes, you read that correctly; from when the vehicle was purchased until it drove out the doors, was, give or take a bit, a period of 18 years of hammering, straightening, welding, replacing, rebuilding, the works — we did say it was a long-term project! Martin explains: “I’m really busy with work and life, so there was never any timetable for the build, as I had to balance it with other commitments.”

The good thing about a build of this magnitude is that there were no rules to adhere to, and, once the big two-door was stripped naked of every nut and bolt, the team at Magoo’s could begin turning it from bland street cruiser into sensational headturner. Starting at the business end, when you pop the hood, it’s immediately obvious that this is one serious car. The original firewall was unstitched and replaced with a smooth piece of sheet metal, thus eliminating all the factory welds and unnecessary holes. The inner wheel tubs were also given the ‘smoother than a baby’s …’ treatment, filler panels were whipped up to hide everything that didn’t need to be seen, which, along with the lack of visible wiring, makes the factory 389-cube small block the star of the show.

Al Hyde at Wairarapa Automotive and Engineering was given the task of extracting a few more than the 265 Indians that the engine left the Kansas City factory with. The bores have been enlarged by

30 thou, a mild cam has been slid in in place of the stock item, and the whole package is now topped with a 600cfm carb on an HPC-coated manifold courtesy of Mr Edelbrock. A pair of Mooneyes valve covers, along with a polished Magoo’s custom radiator, stainless overflow tank, and Billet Specialties polished fittings give the engine bay a lovely sparkle.

The better-than-factory approach has been stuck to wherever possible. Bill at Brinsden Automatics in Rotorua stripped the factory Hydramatic transmission and gave it a bit of a birthday. The original Pontiac rear end was retained, albeit with a disc-brake conversion in place of the standard drums. Pontiac aficionado Danny McKenna supplied the interesting mix of GM rotors and BMW calipers for the brake upgrade. Again, to help iron out the bumps of the always-talked-about New Zealand roads, the original front and rear suspension was retained but upgraded with bits straight from the Ridetech catalogue — better than factory. Keeping everything up off the ground is a set of Billet Specialties SLC 65s measuring 17x8 inches up front and 18x9 inches at the blunt end. Moving outside, the exterior remains mainly stock. That’s not to say that it didn’t receive plenty of love and attention, though, with all the straightening and perfecting of the panels done in-house by the Magoo’s craftsmen. Ames Performance Engineering received the phone call when it came to the factory emblems and sill plates, which were all replaced with reproduction items, and the company proved extremely helpful as, compared with Chevrolet and Ford repro parts, Pontiac items can be very difficult to procure.

The mammoth original bumpers were sent off to Wanganui Electroplating to be made all nice and shiny again to complement to perfection the PPG Wineberry and Pearl White paint applied by Reon Madden at Supreme Automotive Refinishers. Creature comforts have definitely not been overlooked. A huge chunk of the interior design was handed over to Lloyd’s son, Nathan ‘Von Mako’ Wilson, who dreamed up a custom design for the original seats that B&M Upholstery transformed into reality. The burgundy-hued hides combined with ostrich-skin inserts and billet deco buttons, scream style and sophistication. Nathan also carried the design onto the door cards. The Billet Specialties

catalogue was raided for all the interior hardware, and, while the original gauges have been retained, they are complemented nicely by the addition of a set of Moon gauges to help keep an eye on oil pressure, temperature, and voltage. These, together with the Air Ride control, were mounted in a console also designed and built by Von Mako. Keeping the elements out is a bespoke wine softtop, which really sets off the car’s uniqueness. The last piece of the puzzle — and arguably one of the key features of the vehicle — is the audio install. Again, Von Mako stamped his mark on his already-impressive interior with a stereo system that is up there with the best. The Clarion head

The Clarion head unit is connected to Kicker speakers in the front and rear to create a masterclass in acoustics for all the occupants

unit is connected to Kicker speakers in the front and rear to create a masterclass in acoustics for all the occupants. The bass thump emanating from the trunk is courtesy of a 10-inch Kicker Solo-Baric subwoofer in a sealed enclosure that matches the interior trim to perfection.

With all the boxes well and truly ticked, it was finally time to hand the keys back — and, after a build spanning almost two decades, you’d have to ask the question: was it worth the wait? We’ll let you be the judge; have a look at the photos, and, when you see the car in the flesh, have a look at the size of the grin on owner Martin’s face — we think that pretty much answers the question.